Perfect Balance
by Gentle Idealist
Summary: Tweaking a few details can result in drastic worldly changes. Misplace just one thing, and the perfect balance is thrown off course, resulting in an unrecognizable world. Renamed from "One Completely Messed-up Fic". INDEFINITE HIATUS
1. And Thus the Story Is Warped

**CHAPTER 1: And Thus the Story Is Warped…**

Hello, People of FanFiction! Welcome to an extremely screwed up version of Tales of Symphonia (because I don't already have enough on here…n.n')! Please, read on to discover that changing a few facts that are vital to the story line can really screw things up for the future! Isn't that just _lovely_? Now, I invite you to sit down, yell at your maid/family member/dog to get you a nice, steaming cup of hot chocolate, put on your favorite pair of slippers, and prepare yourself to read about nine people whose lives were completely twisted around by a demented teenager! So, relax! Read! Enjoy! Rejoice! Review! Because I bring you…

One Completely Messed-Up Fic!

Disclaimer: This author does not own anything, including a functional brain.

* * *

_Fourteen years prior to the events of _Symphonia_…_

"Anna! Come on! We've got to hurry!" a purple-clad man shouted through the pouring rain. A few feet behind him, a young woman struggled to keep up, her long dress and shoes that were not made for running keeping her from moving quickly. A large dog-like creature made up the back of the living train, urging them on. The man carried in his arms a small boy of about five, who was sniffling a little, but not crying. He had learned very early in life to never cry out loud.

Suddenly, an arrow whipped through the wind and came spiraling straight toward Anna, who dodged it the best she could, but still got nicked on the side. She let out a pained cry, and the Protozoan gave a quick burst, running up beside her. She gratefully climbed onto his back, and the four of them proceeded into the darkness.

* * *

"Kratos, can we stop for a moment? I need some healing, quick." The rain had finally stopped, and the angel reluctantly agreed.

"But only for a moment," he added before casting First Aid on her wound. He surveyed his surroundings, making sure they had lost the Desians that were pursuing them. The family was right next to a large cliff that—surprisingly—had a door carved into it. The intricate designs on it indicated that it was a dwarf that lived there. "Anna," he called softly, "A dwarf lives here. Do you think he'll let us stay for a moment?"

"I don't know, but let's ask anyway. Lloyd's getting hungry." Anna confidently strode up to the door and gave it a knock. It opened, revealing a short, muscular man with reddish-brown facial hair.

"Hello?" the dwarf asked, obviously confused as to why three soaking wet people and their oversized dog were standing on his property.

"Hello. I'm Anna, and this is my husband, Kratos, and our son, Lloyd. That's our, um, _dog_, Noishe. We're kind of in a pickle, and we were wondering if, maybe, you'd let us come in for a moment?"

"We know it's a lot to ask," Kratos said, "but if you would, we would be so grateful."

The dwarf thought this over for a minute before agreeing. He moved away from the door and the Aurions and Noishe all squished together into his house.

"Thank you so much," Kratos said once he had found a place to sit. "How can we ever repay you?"

"Nah, don't mention it. Dwarven Vow number two: never abandon someone in need. I'm just going along with the teachings." Dirk shrugged.

"Well, you're very kind anyway." Anna smiled at him. Then the Exsphere on her hand glinted in the soft lantern light, and Dirk frowned.

"You've got an Exsphere on you," he stated. Anna subconsciously rubbed it, and she nodded. "But it doesn't have a Key Crest. That's dangerous, you know."

Anna sighed sadly and Kratos explained, "We know, but Key Crests are dwarven technology, and we don't know any dwarves. Well, except you, now."

"Well, I'd be happy to make you one, but I've got to make it into an accessory. It'll take a few hours, at best. You'll just have to stay here for the night." Dirk got up from where he was seated and walked over to a nearby stove. He rummaged through a wooden box and pulled out an ore—inhibitor ore, Kratos assumed.

"Really? You'd let us stay for a night?" Anna asked eagerly. Kratos smiled, too; they hadn't stayed in any places that were actually suitable for living for a while. Hiding from Cruxis proved to be a very difficult task.

Damn Kvar…damn the Angelus Project…damn Desians…damn everything that was causing Anna to suffer!

Dirk was speaking. "Of course; Dwarven Vow number two, remember?" Lloyd laughed from his place in Kratos' arms, and said angel looked down with a warm smile. It was times like this that made him forget everything that was happening around them. It made him forget that he, Anna, and Lloyd were the most wanted people in both worlds; that Kvar was after "his" Angelus Project; that Anna was barely strong enough to run all over Sylvarant; that Lloyd was barely five and was in no condition to be running around, hiding from the "big, scary bad guys", in Anna's words.

"Well, thank you so much, Dirk," Kratos said. "Where can we sleep? It's pretty late, and we've been running around all night in the rain."

"I have a spare room in the back of the house," Dirk said, "Feel free to use it. It's got two beds in it."

Kratos nodded. "Um, but what do we do with Noishe?"

"Well, I don't have a pen for him, but if he can behave, he can stay by the fire tonight."

"Yes; he's been trained very well. Thanks so much for your hospitality," Anna said with a cheerful smile, one that Kratos hadn't seen for the last two weeks. She walked over to Kratos and gathered Lloyd in her arms, and then walked toward the back room that Dirk had indicated. "Good night, everyone!" And she disappeared into the room.

"I think I shall be retiring, too." Kratos started to get up, but Dirk held up a hand and told him to wait.

"Why were you running around so late at night, and in the rain?" Dirk asked suspiciously.

"Well, we were, um—" Should he tell him? Could he trust Dirk? He decided that he couldn't trust anyone completely, and that he should avoid telling the complete truth. "We were being pursued, and we had to get away." It was the truth, just not all of it.

"Ah. By a monster?" he asked.

"You could say that…" Kvar was definitely a monster, just not the kind that Dirk was talking about.

"Okay. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Good night." Dirk turned back to the stove, and Kratos frowned.

"Aren't you going to bed?"

"Nah, I've got to finish this Crest for your wife." Dirk was still facing the stove.

"Oh. You don't have to do that." He didn't want to be a burden on him.

"No, the quicker it's done, the better. Now, get some sleep." Dirk said no more, so Kratos shrugged and headed into the back room. Of course, he didn't need to sleep, but he was mentally exhausted, so lying down for a while couldn't hurt.

Anna was already fast asleep with Lloyd curled up in her arms. He lay down in the bed next to her and cleared his thoughts before drifting off.

* * *

The next morning, Dirk presented a wooden bracelet to Anna. It had several charms carved into it, and it was beautiful. The Key Crest. Anna was saved. The two parents hugged each other, huge smiles embedded on their faces. Though Lloyd didn't completely understand what was going on, he was laughing gleefully as his mom and dad latched onto each other, Anna's eyes glistening with tears that had yet to fall.

"Thank you so much," Kratos said to the dwarf. "You've helped us so much. How can we ever repay you?"

"There's no thanks necessary. I was glad to help." Dirk smiled a hairy smile.

"Still…is there _anything_ we can do for you?" Anna asked.

"You could tell me why you have that Exsphere on you in the first place." Dirk raised an eyebrow expectantly as Anna's smile faltered. She looked to Kratos, hoping he would help her out.

"She escaped from a ranch," Kratos said coolly, ignoring his wife's gaping mouth and bugging out eyes.

"Is that who is chasing you? Desians?" the dwarf asked.

"…Yes," Kratos admitted. Anna's stare got even more shocked.

"K-Kratos!" Anna scoffed.

Kratos looked at her. "He's already figured it out, Anna. We can't lie to him."

"Well, I appreciate you telling me the truth. And if you are being chased, I suppose you shouldn't stay here too long."

"Oh! You're right! Come on, Kratos, grab Lloyd. We've got to go!" Anna flew back into the bedroom where she grabbed Kratos' extra outfit. Kratos, meanwhile, picked up Lloyd, who was sitting comfortably, using Noishe as a pillow.

"Come on, Lloyd. We've got to get moving."

Lloyd stretched and frowned. "Do we gotta? Dwarf-man's nice!"

"Yes. We can't intrude any longer. Besides, we still have to go to our new home." Kratos gave a knowing smile to the boy. Soon, it would all be over, and then they family would be safe. He'd get a job, and Lloyd would grow up safe from harm. He wouldn't allow any other scenario. For over five years they had been running from Cruxis. It had gone on for too long.

Lloyd, who had already made himself comfortable in the elder man's arms, grumbled quietly at once again having to go somewhere new. But he was used to it by now, so he said no more and instead attempted to fall asleep.

Anna ran back into the main room and grabbed Kratos' hand. "Bye! Thanks again!" she yelled as she pulled him out of Dirk's house.

The sun was shining and the grass was greener after the hard rain from the night before. The four of them began walking down the path that led away from Dirk's house. They had recently started to head toward the Renegade's base, as Kratos had heard of a Dimensional Transfer System inside the base. If they could make their way to Tethe'alla, they would be free of the Desians—or, at least, that was the plan. Their goal was to make it to the Triet Desert by nightfall. What they weren't aware of, however, was a creepy Desian Grand Cardinal that was watching them.

* * *

A few hours later, the desert was in Kratos' line of vision. "It's a few miles ahead, Anna."

Anna nodded, trusting Kratos' observation even though she couldn't see it herself. So they continued straight on down the dirt path.

A shout penetrated Kratos' ears, and he looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. Another cry sounded, and Kratos could make out what it was the person was saying.

"Get them!"

Kratos' eyes widened. He knew that voice. "Anna…it's…"

He didn't need to say any more. She knew by the look on his face that it could only be one person.

Kvar.

"Anna, run! Take Lloyd and Noishe! I'll hold them off." Kratos drew his sword and held it at the ready as Anna nodded. She couldn't help him, she knew that. So she took Lloyd and ran, Noishe following closely behind.

The Desians and their leader were getting closer, and Kratos' eyes narrowed. He was ready; he had been ready ever since he found Anna sitting in that cold, lonely cell in Kvar's ranch. As he thought of that, red runes appeared under his feet. A few seconds later he shouted "Fireball!" and sent the spell hurling toward the mass. A few caught on fire and had to stop. Kratos hastily cast another Fireball. Five more went down, and Kratos decided to try another spell.

It wasn't one he usually practiced, so he hoped it would work. Red Runes danced even brighter under him as he charged a stronger fire spell. When it was ready, he shouted "Eruption!" Several men got caught in it, and about twenty men were burned to a crisp. After another quick Fireball, only about a fourth of the men were left standing, including Kvar. But he was running low on mana. He reached into the pack that was slung on his back and pulled out an Orange Gel. After swallowing it, he cast Stone Blast. A few men trapped in it got thrown to the ground. A few were knocked unconscious when they hit their heads against the hard ground.

"Grave!" More Desians were skewered.

"Fireball!" Fire filled the sky.

"Wind Blade!" A few were lifted into the air before crashing down.

"Lightning!" That wasn't cast by Kratos. It was from Kvar, and it was headed straight for him.

"Ugh!" Kratos gasped as he got electrocuted by the purple lightning. He fell to his knees. The only ones who were still standing by then were Kratos and Kvar, the latter having a malicious, bloodthirsty smile on his face. It was a one-on-one brawl between the two of them, though it was merely magic, as they were too far apart to use physical attacks. They went back and forth, Kratos casting Fireball and Kvar casting Lightning. Kvar was gradually advancing but still casting, and Kratos was having a hard time standing up with all the electricity coursing through his body. Kvar was easily dodging Kratos' spells, which was making him angry. In fact, everything about Kvar made him angry.

When the Desian leader was only a few yards away, Kratos readied his sword. With a swipe of his blade, he shouted, "Demon Fang!" and let loose the strongest Demon Fang he had ever unleashed, and it rushed toward Kvar with all his fury toward him bottled up in it. It moved too fast for him to dodge, and Kvar gasped in pain as it hit him, and he knelt to the ground. Kratos smirked from where he stood, then ran forward to impale the man that had threatened to kill Anna.

"Die, you bastard!" Kratos shouted as he lunged forward with his sword. Kvar looked up. The last thing he saw was Kratos' evil glare. Then the blade pierced his skin and stopped his heart.

* * *

"So…Kvar is dead," the leader of Cruxis said. He had been in Welgaia, out for a stroll, when one of the Asgard Desian Commanders made their way to him and reported the news of his leader's death.

"Yes, sir. A mysterious assassin killed him and seventy of our men."

"I see. He always was a cocky one. It got in his way." The angel sighed. "I suppose we'll have to find a replacement. Is there anyone among your ranks that can fill the position?"

"Everyone in our ranks is suitable for the position. However…"

"Hm?"

"However, a young half-elf we found a few days ago has shown quite the potential. She has shown to be very authoritative and commanding, as well as ruthless. She would make an excellent choice, sir."

"A young half-elf…bring her to me," Yggdrasill commanded, and the Desian bowed before scurrying off back to Sylvarant.

Raine Sage had been young when she was abandoned. She, as well as her little brother Genis, had made her way to the Iselia region when she was stopped by a couple of passing Desians. They had taken her and Genis to their ranch and given her a choice: to become a Desian and be a proud superior of vermin humans, or to be just another half-elf and be despised by humans, never to fit in. The offer was tempting…she couldn't refuse.

Now, Raine was being led to see the leader of Cruxis, Yggdrasill. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, except that Lord Kvar had been killed and they were looking for a replacement. But what did they want with _her_?

"Lord Yggdrasill, I've brought the girl." The Desian who had brought her bowed to an angel clad in white. Assuming that this was Cruxis' leader, she bowed her head in respect.

"Good. Bring her here." Raine moved forward with wide eyes. The man—Lord Yggdrasill—looked her over, and Raine became very self-conscious. Was her uniform too tight? Was something out of place? But she didn't have time to worry about it because Lord Yggdrasill was speaking again. "This man—" He gestured to the Desian— "told me that you were commanding and took charge easily, is that so?"

"I guess, a little. I take charge easily; is that bad?" she said with a slight huff. Mithos chuckled.

"Interesting. You, what's your name?" Yggdrasill pointed to the Desian, who bowed respectively again.

"I am Fercyz, my lord," he said, still bowing deeply.

"Did you find this girl?" Yggdrasill asked. Fercyz nodded.

"I did. She was walking through the woods with a baby, and we took her in."

"And what of the baby?"

"We took him, as well. We thought he could be of great value to us." Fercyz straightened up as he said this, but still keeping his head lowered. "He and the girl are staying with one of our men at the Iselia Ranch until they are older."

"Well," the angel said, "you did very well with finding her. I must inspect her qualities a bit more before I can decide, but she is very promising. You may go." Lord Yggdrasill gave a wave of his hand, and the Desian bowed again before running off to the portal to Sylvarant.

Raine looked to her leader. "What was that all about?" she asked. She still didn't understand the situation, and she was getting tired of being kept in the dark.

Yggdrasill chuckled to himself. "My, my…very blunt, aren't you?"

"Well, I suppose so. I never was shy." Raine folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. "So, are you going to tell me? Or am I going to have to find out myself…" she gave a pointed look at her lord, "the hard way?"

"I think we've found the perfect replacement," Yggdrasill said before leading the girl into a nearby room to talk.

* * *

The first chapter. Wow. I really hope this turns out all right. It'd be nice. Please review and tell me what you think! Regarding Raine's age, I decided that she was eleven when she came to Sylvarant. It took me forever to figure out how old Lloyd would have to be in order to be in the Desians right after Kratos killed Kvar (…alliteration! Yay!) Anyway, I really, really hope I did this all right. I've been trying to make it sound the least retarded that I could make it. Which was hard. But, I guess this is the final copy. I hope you enjoyed, sorry if it was horrible, I'll try to do better next chapter. Thanks! Bye!


	2. Sex Gods

**CHAPTER 2: Sex Gods**

And I'm back! Yay! What, am I the only one cheering? That's so mean! If you keep that up, I won't post another word on FanFiction ever again!

…Still no cheers? You guys are so mean! Wah! T.T

…I'm better now. So, here's the chapter you've all been _so_ eager to read (keep in mind I was using heavy sarcasm)…Chapter _two_! Yay! Let's have a party! With me, and…me, and…dammit! Why don't I have anyone to celebrate with me? I'm so unloved! Wah! T.T

Wait. No I'm not. Or am I…?

Well, even if I'm not loved and everyone's just being nice, I'd like you to be nice, too, and review, review, review! Hey! That rhymed! Yay!

Anyway, I had planned to update this on the first of every month, but because last month was November and therefore NaNoWriMo, I didn't. I alsmot forgot today, but I just remembered! Yay! So to the few beautiful people that actually bother to read this, here's an update for you!

On with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but very demented plot bunnies. Don't worry; I keep them in a cage…sometimes.

* * *

_Present day…_

"Lloyd! Lloyd, come on! That's no fair! She was _mine_!" a male voice called from a few yards away. A well-dressed man with brown, spiky hair was currently walking away from the man, arms around the waist of a young noble.

"What was your name again, hunny?" the one called Lloyd asked.

The girl giggled before replying. "It's Angela." She flushed a little.

"Well, the name fits. You are definitely an angel…" he purred. The girl giggled again.

Meanwhile, the man, who just happened to be Lloyd's best friend, was grumbling under his breath about "stupid, annoying kids". There was, indeed, an age difference between the two; Lloyd was seventeen, still just a kid, though barely, and the man was twenty-two.

"Better luck next time, Zelos!" Lloyd called back to him. The two of them had been competing against each other for as long as he could remember.

* * *

Zelos and Lloyd had met when Lloyd's family moved into the noble's district. How they acquired the house, Zelos had no idea. He supposed that it had to do with a lot of threatening, because his dad was scary as hell when he wanted to be. Kratos never trusted anyone at first, and would always glare at them with the creepiest glare. Naturally, Zelos had experienced this first-hand. When he had met Lloyd, he was playing with the tiny butterflies that flew around the city. Zelos had thought this was a little weird, so he went up to the four-year-old and told him to stop.

"You're embarrassing yourself," Zelos had explained. The boy hadn't understood that, so the Chosen took it upon himself to teach him how to live like a noble, being the "kind person" he is.

They had started hanging out a lot after that, mostly because neither of them had any friends. Sure, Zelos had lots of groupies, but he was lucky if he even remembered their names.

Soon, the two boys grew inseparable.

And then Zelos met Kratos.

"Daddy, this is Zelos. He's my bestest buddy ever!" the boy had proudly proclaimed. Of course, Kratos was still skeptical about his mysterious past, and therefore didn't trust Zelos. Kratos had glared at him until Zelos about peed his pants, his eyes tearing up and breathing becoming difficult.

"Um, h-hi…sir…" Zelos had squeaked. The man continued to glare at him until a brown-haired lady came into the room.

"Hi, what's your name? Are you one of Lloyd's friends?" she had asked with a warm, motherly smile. Then she spotted Kratos. "Kratos! What do you think you're doing! You're scaring him!" And then, in an undertone, she added, "He can't hurt him. He's just a kid." That had made Kratos relax a bit. Eventually, Kratos grew on him, and vice versa. Kratos became friendlier toward him, and once or twice he actually smiled. For the first time ever, he had experienced fatherly love. And from then on, Zelos hung out at the Aurion household as often as he could; one would think that the family had adopted him.

Zelos and Lloyd continued to grow, and soon they were in their teens. Raging hormones took control and Zelos taught Lloyd about the wonders of women. Because Lloyd looked up to the Chosen, he listened intently and took his word as law. Soon after Lloyd's "lesson" of sorts, the two of them became known all throughout Meltokio as "philanderers", "perverts", and, among the women, "sex gods".

They spent their days either out roaming the streets for some pretty women or competing against each other in sparring matches; they spent their evenings either out partying or chilling at Lloyd's house, listening to the latest music.

Sometimes, Kratos joined them in their sparring matches, and even trained them. He would play catch with them. He would do all sorts of fatherly things that Zelos had missed out on. And Lloyd's mom, Anna, would prepare the three of them lemonade on hot summer days and hot chocolate on the cold nights of winter. She was always happy and passive, and she was a great cook. Zelos loved coming to the Aurion household after Anna had finished making a batch of gooey chocolate chip cookies or her famous shortcake. And the bracelet that she always wore was very pretty, too.

Of course, another reason he loved coming to Lloyd's house was…his maid. When Lloyd was really little, about, three, his parents were walking through the Gaoracchia Forest when they stumbled upon a young girl, about five years old. Lloyd and Anna had told stories about the girl and how they found her, and from what Zelos had been told, she was obviously homeless, they could tell from the rags she wore and her dirty, greasy hair. They took her with them because Anna wouldn't let a little girl starve to death and made their way to Meltokio. The girl had been so grateful to them that she said that she would work for them to pay off the debt that she thought she owed them. So she became the Aurion's maid, and…well, _Zelos likey_. Unfortunately, Lloyd had first dibs because, well, it _was_ his maid, but, still…a guy can dream, right? She was quite the voluptuous one, and clumsy, though she obviously tried to do her best. She was more a part of the family than a maid, and she could often be seen chatting with Anna about the latest fashion or hanging with Lloyd and Zelos around town. The other nobles turned their noses up at this idea, so they were pretty much outcasts when she tagged along, but they didn't mind. She was a lot of fun to be around.

They had one other friend: Sarani Bryant. She was Master and Mistress Bryant's child. That family lived in Altamira, so they didn't get to see her as often, but occasionally the family would stop by Meltokio for a few days on a business trip and Sarani would come over to play with them. She was kind-hearted, cheerful, and outgoing, yet very stubborn. Though, one had to be when training to take over a business. She liked to think she was older, but in reality, she was only seven. Lloyd and Zelos looked at her like a younger sister, and loved to play with her.

When Lloyd's maid and Sarani weren't around, they had competitions on anything. Races to various shops, eating contests, strength tests, and, of course, women scouting. They would look for the prettiest woman in town and woo her, just to prove that he was better at getting girls. This was a favorite past time, and they were constantly doing it, taking home a different woman every night, and sometimes even more than one. The times spent with Lloyd were the greatest ones Zelos had ever had, and whenever he was with his Bud, he could forget that he didn't have parents of his own, and how no one ever wanted him to exist.

* * *

Zelos was headed over to Lloyd's house for the third time that week—and it was only Tuesday. When he reached the giant marble manor, he knocked on the ebony wood door with its brass knocker and waited patiently for one of the maids to answer. He was quite pleased to see that it was his favorite.

"Hey, Zelos. Come on in," she said and moved aside to let him in.

"How's it going, Sheena?" he asked, looking at her pretty brown eyes. Her shiny black hair was sticking out of the maid's cap she wore and hung loose on her face, framing it beautifully. Her dress was the traditional mint green, but she didn't wear an apron as the others did. She didn't really need to; no one ever made her actually _clean_ anything except her room.

"Oh, I'm fine. How about you?" Sheena shut the door behind him, and then walked to where he stood.

"I'm doing great. Do you know where Lloyd is?" He looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his gravity-defying hair somewhere.

"Hm…I think he's out getting some groceries. I offered to go, but he said that he couldn't make a lady do that kind of work. Hmph. How am I supposed to be a maid if no one ever lets me _work_?" She shook her head. "Oh, well. Make yourself at home—oh, you already did." He really had. He had taken his boots off and was currently lounging on the sofa in the parlor. Sheena rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever. Lloyd should be back soon. I'm going now." She walked back into the kitchen, leaving Zelos to do what he pleased.

Some magazines were spread out on the coffee table, and Zelos picked one up and began to flip through it until Kratos walked into the room.

"Hey, Zelos. Lloyd's—"

"Not here. Yeah, I know. He went to get some groceries. I'm just waiting for him. So, what've you been up to, Mr. Aurion?"

"I just got back from work." Kratos worked at the Elemental Research Academy. "You know how Sheena's a summoner? Well, we've been trying to get her to come to the lab for some tests and maybe some training, and we finally got her to come. Isn't that great? And by the way, son, you don't have to be so formal with me. We have known each other for fourteen years." Kratos had nicknamed Zelos "Son" for some strange reason, probably because he was always over at the house, mooching off them.

"Right, right, _Kratos_, so everything's good?"

"It's not good; it's great! We finally have a summoner to research." Kratos was lost in his own world again…Zelos sighed. He always did this when there was a breakthrough at the lab. "Maybe she can summon the Summon Spirit in the lab."

"Wait, you have a summon spirit at the Elemental Research Academy?" Zelos asked. He'd never said anything like this before.

"Yes. Corrine, a man-made Summon Spirit. She's our most prized possession. We've been running tests on her, trying to see what makes the others tick. It's very fascinating."

"I'll take your word on that, Mr. Aur—Kratos." Kratos was usually very laid back, except when meeting new people, but when he got to talking about his job…it was a little weird. He was very passionate about it.

"…Lloyd's home," Kratos said suddenly, the far-off look melted away.

"He is? I don't hear anything…" Zelos bit his lip. How did Kratos hear so much stuff? He could see really well, too. When Zelos had first met him, he had thought that Kratos was delusional. But every time he said that something was coming, sure enough, a minute later, something would pop up and prove Kratos right. It was infuriating, all right, but he had learned to accept it. Kratos was just weird.

A moment later, Lloyd pushed open the door, carrying three large paper bags of food and other necessities.

"Lloyd, buddy! What took you so long? I had to listen to your old man ramble on about his job! It was _torture_!" Zelos said sarcastically. Lloyd just rolled his eyes.

"Well, _sorry_, but I had to go get some food. You're staying for dinner, right? Did you _want_ to starve?" Lloyd handed the bags to one of the maids, Annette, that had run into the room to help, and she waddled away.

Zelos' put a look of mock distress on his face. "Starve the Great Zelos Wilder? How could anyone do such a thing to little old me? What would my hunnies say?" Then Zelos pretended to faint onto the couch, but ruined his dramatic performance by laughing.

"If you died, the world would be a better place," Lloyd said, smiling as he sat down next to the Chosen.

"That's harsh, Bud." Zelos sniffled a bit and made a puppy-dog face. Lloyd rolled his eyes again.

"Never worked before, never will work. Sorry. Now, come on. We've got at least thirty minutes before dinner is ready. We can play Tales of the Abyss for a bit!"

Tales of the Abyss was their favorite game, so Zelos couldn't refuse. They both ran upstairs, trying to beat the other.

Lloyd won.

* * *

Well, that's that. Sorry about that long-ish background story in the middle, I figured that it was necessary to show _how_ Lloyd turned out the way he did this time. Anyway, review, please! Oh, and if you have any ideas for things that could happen, feel free to tell me. I'll probably use them, because your ideas are good. Even though I've never met you and therefore do not know whether or not your particular ideas are good (which they probably are). But that's a minor detail.


	3. Two Worlds

**CHAPTER 3: Two Worlds**

Hey, look! It's my first update of 2011! I can't believe that it's already a new year…I hope everyone had a great decade, and let's hope that this coming one will be better! Let's all work together for a peaceful world! We can do anything if we try! And remember not to ever abandon someone in need! And we can't depend on others, so we have to walk on our own two legs! Also, it's better to be decieved than to decieve! Oh, and remember that lying is the first step down the path of thievery! And finally, goodness and love will always win! And yes, I was totally copying the Dwarven Vows there. Take that.

Ahem. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to my humble abode. Or something like that. Now, I bring to you, more screwed-up warped story! Today on "One Completely Messed-Up Fic", you get to read about Colette's messed-up life! How will she survive without Lloyd or Genis? Will she commit suicide? Well, she kind of already did…but that's not the point. So, without further ado, I present to you…Chapter Three!

Disclaimer: I don't, nor ever did, own anything other than the man I keep in my freezer.

* * *

"Colette, darling, it's time for school," Frank said gently to the blond girl, who was still in bed.

"Remind me again; what is the point of going to school?" the girl moaned. "I'm going to die soon, anyway. I don't need knowledge where I'm going."

"Come on, please get up, everyone will worry if you don't show up…" Frank sighed. She was going through so much, and she just couldn't handle it. She was the Chosen of Regeneration, and if that wasn't enough, she didn't even have any friends other than the priests. She was right; she didn't need knowledge where she was headed.

"…Fine…" Colette rolled out of bed and trudged to her closet and threw on her usual outfit—the ceremonious robes given to her from the Martel Temple. Oh, how she loathed being so poor. It would be nice for one to just, you know, go out with friends—oh, wait. That's right. She didn't have any.

Downstairs, Frank and his wife's mother, Phaidra, heard Colette's voice ring out: "I _hate_ my life!" Their cheerful faces grew solemn as they thought about how neither one could do anything to prevent Colette's fate.

Later, in school, the teacher was asking questions. Again. Whoop-dee-freakin'-doo.

"Brian," the teacher said, pulling her out of her self-pity momentarily at the sound of his name. She turned to look at the boy whose name had been called. She had known him since the second grade, when he moved to Iselia from Triet. His dark skin complimented his midnight-black hair flawlessly, and his beautiful body was chiseled to absolute perfection. She often dreamed of a future with him, but _of course_ that wouldn't happen. Because she was the Chosen. It really sucked that she could never have a normal life, but she tried to cope. Sometimes.

"Brian," the teacher repeated.

"Ma'am?" the boy answered.

"Who ended the Ancient Kharlan War?" she asked.

"Mithos, the Hero."

"Where?"

"The Holy Ground of Kharlan."

And he was smart. The perfect man. Colette sighed. Then she tuned out the rest of the lecture. There was no point in listening, really; it was all about the Journey of Regeneration. Of course, they had the facts wrong, but did it really matter? They didn't have to know.

And then the oracle came.

Lovely.

"Colette, the oracle. Go on to the temple," the teacher said to her. Heh, stupid teacher never cared about her. It was rare that she even called her "Colette". And so the Chosen stood up from her seat and, without trying to appear nervous of scared, she walked out of the schoolhouse.

* * *

"The Tower of Salvation has appeared in Sylvarant, Sir," a Renegade reported to their leader.

"Damn. We need to find an assassin, quick." Yuan slammed his fist down on the table. "Mizuho's been ruled out, because of the…incident." He was talking about a time when he had walked in to Mizuho and had been promptly mutilated by the ninjas. Apparently, one must be invited to the village by a citizen before they are able to set foot on shinobi soil.

"Sir, what about the Aurion family? Kratos is an excellent fighter," the Renegade offered.

"That's perfect!" Yuan stood up so quickly that he knocked over his chair. "I'll be back." He left the Flanoir Base and headed to Meltokio to report to Kratos about his proposition.

* * *

"No," Kratos said as Yuan all but begged him to assassinate Sylvarant's Chosen.

"Why not?" Yuan pouted. Both of them knew that Kratos couldn't resist Yuan's kicked-puppy look, just as Yuan—along with everyone else—couldn't help but shrivel up under Kratos' glare.

"I have a family to think about, Yuan. I can't go running off anywhere, much less _another world_." Kratos glared at Yuan, and the two were caught at a stalemate; it was now a battle of wills.

Yuan's pout intensified. "But there's no one else to do it! And, think: do you want Tethe'alla to become a desolate wasteland, like Sylvarant?"

Kratos considered what would happen in Sylvarant's Regeneration was successful. His glare disappeared. Tethe'alla couldn't go into ruin. His home would be destroyed, and his perfect life would slip right through his fingers. "…Okay, I'll do it."

Yuan cheered. "Yay! Thanks, buddy!" He patted his long-time pal on the back, and Kratos sighed.

"I'm not doing it for you. It's for Lloyd and Anna," he told the half-elf.

"Oh, I'm so unloved!" Yuan mock-cried.

"You'll get over it. By the way, how's it going with Martel?" He hoped Yuan wouldn't notice his subject change.

"We got in a fight…again. I didn't _mean_ to turn her dress pink! I forgot that my lucky boxers were in the dryer! But she didn't understand and unleashed a giant fish storm on my head." Yuan sighed.

"A…fish storm?" the red-head asked incredulously.

"Yup. Smelly fish, too."

"…"

"Don't mock the powers of the _Goddess_…" he warned. Since they had split the world four thousand years ago, she had become both worlds' deity—by her own will, of course. Maybe sadistic, power-hungry insanity ran in the family.

"How in the worlds did she get _that_ technique?" Kratos asked.

"I…have no idea."

They paused.

"…Think she'll teach it to me?"

Yuan smacked Kratos. "Idiot!"

"No, you're mistaking me with Lloyd."

"Takes one to know one."

Kratos twitched.

"Ha!" Yuan performed a small victory dance, until…

"Eruption," Kratos calmly said, then walked away from his companion as a small volcano erupted from underneath him. Yuan yelled for help as the lava encircled him.

"Kratos! I'm sorry!" he cried.

"…Too bad."

"Kratos!"

Kratos pretended not to hear him.

* * *

Kratos was packing a small backpack that he would take with him to Sylvarant. He placed Flamberge neatly in it, along with two extra pairs of clothes and extra armor. He packed food in an air-tight container and shoved it into the pack.

"Hey, Dad!" Lloyd called as he walked past Kratos' room. Then he paused and backed up. "Dad? Are you going somewhere?"

"…Yes." He couldn't let Lloyd come. Why did he have to have such a curious son?

"Ooh, where?" He was getting excited, probably expecting to come with him.

"You wouldn't know the area." That was an understatement.

"Try me."

"…"

Lloyd huffed and crossed his arms. "Come _on_, Dad! Spill."

"I'm going to…Sylvarant."

Lloyd looked as if a calculus test had been placed in front of him. "Syl…va…rant?" he repeated slowly.

"Yes." He should have lied. He should've just told his son that he was going to the Temple of Darkness or something. Anything but Sylvarant.

"Where is that?" he asked.

"It's…" How could he explain?

"Kratos! Are you ready?" Anna called from downstairs. Kratos let out a sigh of relief. Thank Martel!

"Coming, honey!" Kratos yelled back, and rushed out of their room.

"Dad! Wait!" Lloyd followed him.

"I've got to go, Anna. I love you. But Yuan's waiting with the Rheairds. Bye!" Kratos had just touched the doorknob when Lloyd ran into the room with a furious and confused look on his face. Slowly, Kratos turned around. _Busted…_

"Who's Yuan? And what are Rhee-birds? And where the hell is Sylvarant?" Lloyd demanded.

"Rheairds, Lloyd…" Kratos mumbled.

"I don't care! What are you two keeping from me?" Lloyd glared at them. His parents shared a look and Anna nodded.

"Go on, tell him…" she whispered, and Kratos sighed in defeat. All he wanted was for his family to be happy. And ignorance was bliss, right?

"Lloyd…there's a world, aside from this one, that's connected to this one. That's Sylvarant. Anna is from there, and that is…where you were born." Kratos looked down; he couldn't face his son.

"And…you've been keeping this from me? Why?" Lloyd fumed.

"That world is impoverished and dying. There are many bad things there. We couldn't have you go running off there by yourself," Anna cut in. "We just wanted you to be safe.

"Why would I go off to a different word like that?"

"Because; you're just like me," Kratos said. He truly was. Annoyingly overconfident, extremely curious, nosey—all of the things Kratos was that he tried so hard to force down.

"Well…" Lloyd thought about this, and then came to a decision no one was expecting, even considering his past. "I want to go, too!"

"Lloyd—" Anna started, but was cut off by her son.

"No, Mom. I want to see where I was born. I deserve that much, don't I?" He made a point. Why did his intelligence show up at the worst times?

"…Fine," Anna said. Both Kratos and Lloyd had similar faces of shock on their faces, though Lloyd's was considerably more thrilled.

"Really? Thanks, Mom!" Lloyd ran up and hugged his mother, then ran upstairs to pack.

"Anna? Why…?" Kratos stuttered, still in shock. Why in the worlds would she agree to bringing their son back to the place that wanted them all dead?

"He deserves to know where he was born. The first three years of his life were spent there."

Kratos sighed in defeat. She was always right, wasn't she?

"Dad! I'm ready! Let's go!" An overly-excited Lloyd zoomed back into the foyer.

"…Let's just get this over with." He opened the door and saw…Zelos. And he, too, had a pack slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, Bud!" the Chosen said to Lloyd. "You ready to go to that place?"

"Sylvarant?" Lloyd offered.

"Yeah, that!" Zelos pumped his fist and smiled at Kratos. "Hey, thanks for inviting me, man!"

"I did _not_ invite you," Kratos practically growled.

"Oh. Well, Lloyd asked me to come, so…are we ready or what?"

"Yeah! Time to go see some hunnies in a _different_ world!" Lloyd looked dreamily into nowhere.

"Maybe they'll all be large-breasted, hot chicks!" Zelos mused.

"Or maybe you won't even make it to Sylvarant because of an _unfortunate_ accident involving a Rheaird…" Kratos said, a malicious smile forming at his lips.

"Uh…let's just go."

And then they headed to the Renegade base in the snowy regions of Flanoir. Once there, the inter-dimensional transfer system was turned on, and they flew their Rheairds into the legendary Sylvarant.

* * *

Yay! Another chapter! Whoo-hoo! Yeah! Uh-huh! Par-tay!

…Sorry.

Review! And please, please, _please_, in your reviews, give me some suggestions on how to screw this story up even more! Because I love to see my pawns squirm! Thank you in advance, because I believe that you'll give me some wonderfully excellent ideas, even if you don't mean to!

P.S. For those of you who have read another one of my stories, High School, Brian might seem a little familiar. That is on purpose. It gave me a headache when coming up with the name for Colette's crush, so I decided to use her boy toy from High School. So, it's intentional, it's staying, that will most likely be the only time he's ever mentioned, blah, blah, blah…yeah.

P.P.S. Thank you, moondolphin96, for PM'ing me with the "fish storm" thingy. I totally stole it from you. Hope you don't mind. 'Cause if you did, too bad. But I love you anyway!


	4. They Meet

**CHAPTER 4: They Meet**

And here's another chapter! Woo! And that's all I have to say! So, bye! Please enjoy!

* * *

"…Ew…" Lloyd commented.

"This is…horrible…" Zelos added.

"Then you shouldn't have come," Kratos huffed. They had recently made their way to a 'city' called Triet, according to his map, and what they saw was not what they expected. Small adobe huts served as the homes for the civilians, and the streets were hardly visible because of all the sand that blew through the town. There were few inhabitants, and they lazily strolled through the streets, occasionally coughing because of the sand. They were all thin, and that was emphasized by the lack of clothing covering their stomachs. It was truly a terrible sight to see, especially for two city boys who had lived in the lap of luxury as long as they could remember. Naturally, said boys made several passes at any woman they saw, but the girls just walked past them without giving them so much as a glance.

Kratos watched his son fruitlessly attempt to flirt with another girl, who flipped him off after he subtly brushed against a private area. "Buzz off, jerk!" she yelled as she stormed off. Lloyd strode back to the tiny group that consisted of Zelos and his father, who gave him a disapproving glare.

"So, where are we headed, Dad?" the swordsman asked.

"We are going to spend the night at the inn in this town, and then we're going to wait in the Ossa Mountains for the Chosen One," Kratos replied nonchalantly, and then turned to walk toward the small inn.

"Man, we've got to stay in this dumb town? But it's so _hot_…" Lloyd whined as he followed.

"And there's so much sand…" Zelos complained.

"Shut up. If you weren't prepared for anything, then both of you should have stayed in Tethe'alla. I never even wanted you to come!" Kratos snapped from ahead. He descended the staircase leading to the door. "Now, come on. Stop your whining, because now that you're here, you can't go back." Kratos hated saying that with everything in him. Oh, how he wished he could get rid of them. But he had to keep an eye on them, because Anna would _murder_ him if anything happened to the fruit of their love and his friend.

"Okay…" both Zelos and Lloyd moaned at the same time. They followed Kratos into the inn and watched as the man glared his way into receiving an extra-cheap room.

"Go, Dad!" Lloyd said proudly as he slapped his father on the back. "How many people can say that their dads can make anyone wet themselves just by looking at them? No one except me! Woo-hoo!" he shouted merrily as they headed to the room they'd acquired.

"Yay for Bud's dad!" Zelos chimed, and Kratos glared at nothing, praying that this would all be over soon.

* * *

"Yuan!" a feminine voice shouted angrily. "Where are you?"

The blunette's eyes widened as he recognized the tone she used. Quickly he responded with a "Coming, honey!" Then he rushed into the bedroom he shared with Martel. Said woman was currently lying on her back with her face in her pillow, stripped to nothing but a satin dress, if one can call it that. Yuan almost broke when he realized that he had been massaging her back when he was called away to go find Kratos. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten! Stupid, stupid, stupid man…

"Well, aren't you going to finish what you started? You _were_ the one to offer, after all." Martel sighed from her spot on the bed, and Yuan sauntered over to her. He smiled lovingly at the back of her head. Though she was extremely pushy and had a temper, she was so beautiful and kind and loving…and she wasn't too bad in bed, either.

He kicked off his shoes as straddled her, massaging her thin shoulders, working his way down his back with his skilled hands. It was actually very relaxing to do this; a great way to escape from the never-ending paperwork that constantly flowed in from both Cruxis and the Renegades. It was nice that Martel helped him sometimes, and that lowered his level of stress, but there was no doubt that spending alone time with his wife was first in his list of favorite things.

The two lovers were so busy relaxing, that they didn't realize the twitching man in the doorway. "You-you _pervert_! What the hell are you doing to my sister?" Mithos—or, rather, Yggdrasill—shouted. You see, the footboard on the bed was high enough that Yggdrasill could not see below Yuan's torso, and so, naturally, thought the worst.

As fast as Volt's lightning, they scrambled from the bed, Martel struggling to pull down her dress so as not to appear too revealing to her little brother while flushing a deep red. "Mithos, it's not what you think!" she said, though the embarrassed tone she used did nothing to appease his anger.

"I think that it's _exactly_ what I think!" Mithos growled as white runes appeared below his feet. After charging his spell, he called out, "Ray!" And a square of light materialized under Yuan. The half-elf yelped and dodged the attack just as a white pillar of light came down on where he had just stood. Yuan went pale, and collapsed, Martel catching him halfway through his fall.

"Mithos, please don't scare your brother-in-law. Don't get so jealous," Martel said softly, attempting to calm down her seething brother.

"B-but Martel! He's so wrong for you! And he's obnoxious! And—urgh! He just makes me so mad!"

"Hush. I'm lying him down. When he wakes up, apologize. If you don't, I will know, and you know what happens if you break the rules…" Martel glowered at him, and set Yuan down on the bed.

Mithos sighed in defeat. "Okay. But only because I don't want another Bigfoot in my bed."

Martel's glare changed instantly into a sweet smile. "Thanks, Mithos!" And then she skipped out of the room, forgetting about the fact that she was still in skimpy lingerie. Shocked gasps came from the seemingly emotionless angels of Welgaia, and the 'Goddess' ran back into her room to change.

* * *

Later, Mithos Yggdrasill, leader of Cruxis and the Desians, sat on his throne in Vinheim. He was bored. Yuan had woken up long ago, so he couldn't draw a mustache on him while he slept, and Martel was watching him (she was _always_ watching…), so he couldn't goof around, either. He supposed that it would be best to hold a meeting. He hadn't had a chance to get reports from the ranches for this month, yet, so he might as well do it now.

"Send for the Cardinals," he barked at an angel, who bowed deeply and disappeared. What seemed to be moments later, the angel returned and stated in his monotonous tone that the Grand Cardinals would be arriving shortly. Sure enough, a minute later, there they were, in all their glory. Each of them bowed humbly to their leader, who waved for them to be seated at a table.

"Good afternoon, Lord Yggdrasill," Pronyma purred. She was such a flirt. It was a shame that Martel would never let him get _closer_ to her…

Magnius and Forcystus each gave their leader another bow without saying anything. Then Forcystus sat down, folding both of his hands neatly on the table. Magnius grunted as he did the same, but with less class. Rodyle took off his cloak before sitting, barely making any eye contact with his superior. The last—and most respected—of the Grand Cardinals curtseyed and smiled at Yggdrasill before taking her seat.

"I haven't taken up your reports on the status of your ranches this month. I hope you all have brought them," Mithos said casually. Quickly, the Cardinals—with the exception of Pronyma, who didn't have a ranch—gathered their papers from Goddess-knows-where and presented them to him. "Hmmm…" Yggdrasill said as he scrutinized the documents. "Magnius, you fixed the broken gate? Took you long enough. And Forcystus, spotless ranch as always, and…Rodyle…what does this mean?"

Rodyle looked toward the man, smirked, and boasted, "I have filled my corridors with _sea water_!"

"…Yes, that's what you have written, but _why_?" he was completely lost.

"If any of my prisoners try to escape, then instead of sending the Desians to catch them, I can just press a button and the hallways are flooded!" Rodyle chuckled.

Everyone present with the exception of Magnius buried their heads in exasperation. They knew the man was nuts, but _this_ nuts?

The youngest of the Grand Cardinals finally spoke up. With a calm, rational tone, Raine Sage explained, "That does not make any sense whatsoever. If someone is to escape, you would want them back alive, and so drowning them is completely pointless. You would have been better off just allowing them to escape; it certainly would have saved you Gald."

Rodyle's triumphant smile faltered, and he slumped back into his chair, defeated. "I-I guess you're right…" he mumbled.

"Sir," Raine said, changing the subject, "How are things going with the experiment?"

After pondering what she had said for a second, he remembered what 'experiment' she was talking about. "The girl is developing properly. I'm still grateful that you had me think about using the younger one before that Alicia girl."

"Good. Is she safe? We wouldn't want anything to happen to the Cruxis Crystal," she said.

Mithos was proud of the woman. She was so excited about the project and put her heart and soul into it, and she strived to please her leader. He smiled slightly as he remembered why he liked her so much.

Sixteen years ago, Yggdrasill had ordered his newest Grand Cardinal to his palace to prove her worth. He had heard that she was exceptionally gifted, and he planned to test it out. Ever since Kratos and Anna had run away, he had planned to find another suitable host body for the Angelus Project. The only thing he needed was the body. Fortunately for him, Raine was the perfect person for the job.

It had only taken her a month to sift through the files of all the possible candidates. When she came upon the Combatir girls, however, she had to analyze them further. Finally, after a few sleepless nights, she had determined that the eldest of the two, Presea, was the perfect match for the project. The experiment had started right away, and it turned out that Raine had made the right choice. Ever since then, Pronyma had to struggle to stay the leader of the Grand Cardinals.

"She's doing perfectly fine, Raine," Yggdrasill assured.

"That's excellent. Where is she, now? I had heard she was taken from Ozette because the area was too dangerous. Is this true?" she asked.

"Yes," Pronyma interrupted. She was such an attention hog. "She was placed here after I suggested that that peasant town was not safe."

"Very nice. Though I believe I had directed the question at Lord Yggdrasill, _not_ you," Raine spat.

"Oh? And just what do you think you're going to do about that?" Pronyma mocked. This made Raine angry, and bright white runes appeared beneath her feet. "Awww, little Raine's going to cast a spell! Isn't that _cute_?" the teal-haired woman jeered. "Did your little brother teach you that, too?"

Now Raine was fuming. Genis was, in fact, a prodigy, and he was at the top of the ranks of the Desian army because of his magic, but she was smart, too! And there was no reason to bring in her little brother. So, to shut the irritating woman up, she finished charging her spell and shouted, "Holy Lance!" With a smug look plastered on her face, she watched as Pronyma's eyes widened in shock and a hint of fear as the spell came crashing down on her. The technique was certainly new. She had been practicing it in her time off, and no one knew of it, save for Genis, who shared a house with her within the Asgard Ranch. No one expected much of Raine when it came to fighting, because she was the scientist of the bunch, and not much of a fighter. And that was why she had to study so hard to make sure that she was never looked down upon in that category ever again. And besides, Pronyma ticked her off.

"Holy…" Forcystus murmured as Pronyma screamed. "Well, she did kind of deserve it. Raine, you did very well while executing that spell. Your studies are going magnificently." The man smiled, and Raine's heart leapt for joy. She had always had a _thing_ for the man, and he was the only person other than Genis who never doubted her fighting ability. It didn't hurt that he always found something to praise her about. Though she always felt like a student in his presence, she felt like the student that was lucky enough to be the teacher's favorite and could therefore get away with anything.

"So, Pronyma, was there something else that you wanted to say?" Raine smirked.

The injured woman glowered but said nothing, and Raine decided that she had won that round. She sat back down with a sneer.

Meanwhile, Yggdrasill was still sitting in his chair, watching the entire scene with amusement. It was strange to see his subordinates fight amongst themselves, but he couldn't help that he found it fun to watch.

"Anyway, Lord Yggdrasill, I just wanted to check up on the experiment. I'm glad she's doing well." Raine gave Mithos a genuine smile, and the angel noted how pretty she looked when she was happy.

"Yes, it is good. Now, I'm done with this meeting. You may go." Yggdrasill waved his hands and the Grand Cardinals stood up. After bowing respectively again, they left the room and Welgaia.

"Meetings are always so much fun…" Yggdrasill mused with a smile on his face.

* * *

"So this is the Oh-soh Trail?" Lloyd asked Kratos the next day. The trio approached a dirt path that led through the mountains. It looked as if a landslide had recently been cleared, as indicated by the massive mounds of gravel and dirt pushed off to the side of the opening to the trail.

"No, Lloyd. It's the So-ah Trail," Zelos corrected.

"You're both wrong. It's the _Ossa_ Trail. Now, come on. The Chosen and her companions are probably almost through the pathway. We need to hurry." Kratos pushed past his son and Zelos and continued briskly down the path.

"Hey! What's this red thingy-ma-bobber?" Lloyd asked as he examined a large pole sticking out of the ground. Then, stupidly, he pushed the stick.

Unfortunately, Zelos was standing on the inconveniently-placed trap door at that time, and with a yelp, Lloyd's friend fell down into the darkness below. "Zelos!" Lloyd called, and his voice dying out in the blackness of the hole.

"It's a maintenance passage for a mine," Kratos said as he scrutinized the hole that was created. "I assume it's been out of order for a while now, as there are no lights that we can see."

"How are we going to get to Zelos, now?" Lloyd asked as he looked longingly down the hole.

After a pause, Kratos sighed. "Come on." Lloyd turned around, puzzled, as his father grabbed his waist.

"H-hey! What are you—?" Lloyd started as Kratos started glowing. Bright blue wings erupted from the man's back and before Lloyd could say anything, he dove down into the passage with his son in tow. When their feet hit the ground, Kratos released the boy and dismissed his wings, leaving his son to stare in shock at the darkness.

"Wh-what was…that?" Lloyd asked quietly. Kratos didn't answer, but instead walked ahead, using his heightened senses to search for the Chosen of Tethe'alla.

_There._ Kratos heard the swish of clothing from ahead, and when he squinted, he could make out the faint silhouette of the pervert himself. "Come on, Lloyd. I see Zelos." Lloyd ran up to meet his dad and they walked through the darkness to Zelos.

As they approached him, Lloyd ran up to him and tackled him to the ground. "You idiot! Why'd you go on without us?"

"Me? You're the one who let me fall through a trap door!" Zelos accused. "Speaking of which, how did you get down here?"

"…It's a long story that I am not going to explain," Kratos stated as he walked in between the two friends and grabbed their arms. He dragged them through of the long tunnel that they were in until he saw light at the end. He reached the light and knocked down the boards that had sealed the tunnels shut.

They were just in time. A small group of priests were escorting a young girl down the path. "Halt!" Kratos said as he jumped from the darkness, startling the priests and the young girl. In fact, the girl was so scared that she lost her balance and fell down.

"Dad? Who's that?" Lloyd said as he came out of the darkness. Zelos followed, looking confused.

"It's the Chosen," Kratos growled, not letting his eyes leave the girl. He drew the sword that he wore at his side and held it menacingly in front of him. Then he directed his words toward the girl. "Don't move," he threatened.

"An assassin?" one of the priests called incredulously.

Kratos didn't seem fazed by the accusation. "Yes," he said calmly.

"Oh, no! Lady Colette, run! We will hold them off!" another priest said. "Hurry!"

"No. I want to fight, too. Come on!" The Chosen—Colette—narrowed her eyes and pulled out her weapon, which looked like flying discs. She ran up to Kratos without hesitation and spun around with her arms held out. "Whirlwind Rush!" she yelled, and before Kratos could react, she jumped back.

"Uh, Dad?" Lloyd said as he walked up to the fighting man. "I don't think I can fight a girl."

"The Chosen's a girl?" Zelos said, confused, as he, too, walked out from the dark haven of the mine. "Sweet!"

Kratos merely sighed. He didn't have time to lecture the two pinheads on how to treat a lady. "Chosen of Sylvarant, you must die," he said as he held his sward at the ready. "Zelos: focus on healing. Lloyd…stay back."

"What? Why? Don't treat me like a little kid!" Lloyd pouted, but his words were lost amidst the battle that had begun.

Kratos rushed the girl and with his angelic strength, he slashed his sword horizontally, hoping to cut open her stomach. Colette caught him off guard, however, when she leaped back to avoid from getting struck.

"You're good, assassin," she said as she stared him down. "But I've been trained professionally. Hah!" Colette threw one of her weapons at him with a shout of "Ray Thrust!" Kratos blocked the disc with his sword, sending it back toward the girl, who caught it easily in her hand.

Now angry, Kratos narrowed his eyes and thrust his sword out, yelling "Lightning Blade!" If the blow had hit the girl, she would have died at once. Instead, a priest pushed her out of the way and instead took the hit for her. He screamed as lightning rained down on him. Kratos tried again, this time using Double Demon Fang. This, however, was also blocked by a priest, who could no longer stand because of the impact.

"Fireball!" Zelos called from behind, releasing several flaming balls toward their enemies. The remaining priests then sacrificed themselves to create a wall of protection. One by one, each fell as they caught on fire and burned to death. There was no one left on the Chosen's side but the girl herself. Her eyes widened slightly in realization that she was alone, but she quickly regained her composure and assumed a fighting position.

The Chosen started to call out "Triple Ray Sateli—!" but a loud _thud_ rang through the air and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Kratos looked for the source and found Lloyd standing behind the girl with his sword out.

"I-I knocked her out…" he said weakly, a look of fear on his face. "Oh, no!" He knelt down to try to wake her up, but Kratos came over and held his sword over her throat, preparing to strike.

"Thank you, Lloyd. But next time, listen to me," he said as he found the right place for a quick kill.

"Dad! Why do you have to kill her?" Lloyd said suddenly, just as Kratos was ready to thrust downward.

"Because we don't want our world to turn into this one," his father said simply.

"What if we can just stop her from finishing the journey?" Zelos suggested. Then, almost silently, he added, "No one would _want_ that fate, anyway."

Kratos was the only one who heard that, but pretended as if he didn't. "…If she'll listen and follow the guidelines, then she can live. For now we'll take her to Izoold as her prisoner." He knelt down and lifted her from the ground, then turned on his heel and walked away from the two boys.

"Dude…" Zelos said as he watched Kratos depart.

"Yeah?" Lloyd asked when his friend didn't say anything.

"That Chosen girl's hot."

"Totally."

* * *

Well, here it is. And Colette didn't die! Yay! Even I didn't know that! I swear; I plan my stories in the strangest ways. I know the key elements, but everything else is completely made up as I type it. Does anyone else do that? Or does that just make absolutely no sense whatsoever? Anyway, please review, because without them, I'm left in the dark as to whether or not this is any good. And that's not good. Because then I get paranoid. And I'm not pleasant when I'm paranoid. So basically, this is all about me. And you. Even though none of you know me, so my paranoia doesn't really concern you. And now I'm babbling. Babble, babble, babble. Bye.


	5. Kidnapped

**CHAPTER 5: Kidnapped**

I feel the need to comment on reviews. So…

To **Thunder Explosion**: Well, the Bigfoot, meaning the monster in the game, was in his bed, meaning literally _in his bed_, so…yeah. As for the Forcystus thingy, what if he doesn't have an arm cannon now? What if, because Martel is still alive, there was never the human uprising that led to him losing his arm? Or, because it's not known whether or not he still has an arm, he could have just taken off the cannon for the meeting. Or maybe it's just a plot hole. But you'll never know. And neither will I. Heh.

And that's all of the reviews that had something to which I needed to say something other than "Thank you so, so, so, so much!"

…I don't know what else to say. So I guess you should read this now. See you at the end.

* * *

"Let me down, you perverted old man!" Colette screamed as she pounded on her captor's back. When she had woken up, her head hurt, and she was being carried by the man that had tried to kill her. What a way to start a day.

Now, the three mysterious men were taking her to Izoold. Why they hadn't killed her was beyond her; not that she minded, though.

"Good; you're awake," the man that carried her said smoothly. He acted as if he was unharmed by her blows, and he talked nonchalantly, as if they were having a cordial conversation. He annoyed her.

"Let me _down_!" she yelled and beat even harder upon his spine. He paid no attention to this and instead talked to the younger men that walked behind him.

"Lloyd," he said, and Colette lifted her head to look at the boy who grunted in response. He didn't look too much older than she, though he did look a whole lot richer. This "Lloyd" wore a pure white jacket that matched his pants. He looked as if he hadn't worked a day in his life.

Based on his looks, she formed an opinion of him. Like most rich people, she assumed that he was stuck-up and snooty. She also guessed that he would be stubborn, and that he would think that he could get anything he wanted. Typical rich people. Why the hell did they think that they ran the world?

_Oh, yeah_, she thought grudgingly. _They do_.

"It's not wise to parade around in your current attire," the man clad in purple spandex continued. "You need to change."

"What? Why?" the boy pouted. So far, all of Colette's predictions were true.

"You're wearing white. I would think it would be obvious that you would need to change when journeying in such a forlorn and decrepit world," the older man said simply.

"Hey!" Colette cut in. "I was trying to fix that, until _you_ came and ruined all of that!" _Not that I really mind that I can put off my death…_she thought to herself.

"Chosen," her captor said calmly. "We are holding you so that you cannot continue your journey. We _do_ have a reason for going through all of this trouble, you know."

Why did they not want her to regenerate the world? Didn't everyone want salvation and prosperity? What was wrong with these people?

"Yeah, my _cute,_ little angel," the redhead added. "We can't have you go die on us. That'd make all of us sad."

"H-how did you know…that I'd die? That's classified information only kept within the Church of Martel," Colette said, stunned.

"Well, you may not know it, but I'm particularly close to the church, myself." The man flashed her a cocky, flirty grin and winked at her.

Colette pretended to gag. "Oh, please. Anyone who was close to the church would know that the completion of this journey is the only way to save the world."

"Not quite, Princess," Lloyd added with the same flirty smile the other man had. "We have to ensure that you _don't_ finish this; otherwise, _we_ die. And you wouldn't want this sexy body to rot into the ground before its time, would you?"

Colette gagged once more. "I think I'd _rather_ die than let you continue to live."

Lloyd's eyes grew wide in a fake puppy dog pout. "Aw, now you've made me sad," he whimpered.

She rolled her eyes. "Wow. You really are something."

"That's better than nothing!" Lloyd cheered, completely switching gears.

From in front of—or, in Colette's case, under— them, the man spoke in curt words. "Would you three children quit your bickering? We have to reach Izoold by sundown, and you are only slowing us down."

The two boys looked sheepish as they said, "Sorry," in unison.

* * *

Kratos lifted the Chosen off of his shoulder and laid her on the bed. "Finally!" she cried, happy that she could finally glare at her captor.

"Chosen," Kratos said, ignoring her petty looks. "You will do as we say. Is that understood?"

"Or what, huh?" she asked, obviously not put off by her threats. She started to say something else, but was cut off when Kratos reached for the scabbard that lay at his side and drew out his blade within half of a second, holding it directly in front of her neck. The girl's eyes grew wide as she realized that, if she moved, she would die.

Instead of striking, Kratos only placed the sword back into its holder and crossed his arms. "Now that we understand each other, I believe that I won't have any trouble with you. Will I?"

"N-no…" she said, still shocked from the prior event.

"Good." Kratos turned and walked to the door of Izoold's inn. "Now, go to sleep." He walked out into the hallway and closed the door, locking it behind him.

* * *

The intercom of the Asgard Ranch woke Genis up. Another new day. Nothing seemed new about it, though. Every day was the same. Wake up; eat breakfast; patrol the grounds; eat lunch; return to his post; eat dinner; go to sleep. Nothing ever changed for him. Why was his sister so protective? She wouldn't ever let him do anything fun. All of his friends got to leave the ranch; why couldn't he? It wasn't as if he'd never asked. He'd tried asking Raine to leave so many times that he'd lost count. And every time, the answer was always the same.

But the days were getting too boring. He needed something to spice up his life.

"Today's the day," he mumbled to himself as he got dressed and left his room. "Change is in the air." Holding his head high, he walked down the hallways toward the room to which few had ventured and survived. He was among the small handful of people that could go into the Grand Cardinal's room at this early of an hour. And today, he would make use of this privilege in order to get what he wanted. Or…so he hoped.

"L-Lady Raine?" he asked timidly, knocking on her door before entering. When he could see the room, he noted luxuries that were not even comprehensible to him. How much gold and silver could actually adorn one bed?

"What?" the woman on the bed snapped. Her eyes were closed and her voice was slurred, indicating that she had woken up only moments before.

"Um…Sis…"

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that? I am _not_ your sister, you miserable brat." She spoke calmly and tiredly, but the insult stung as much as it would have if she'd been whipping him. She was cruel to her subjects, but she _was_ his sister; Genis couldn't just abandon the ranch.

"I wanted to know…can I go out today? I've never seen anywhere past the walls of your ranch, but I've heard stories, and…well, I wanted to see if they were true." Raine had sat up in the bed, and was now staring at him with cold, calculating eyes. He flinched away slightly—not enough to be visible, though.

"What have I said every time you've asked me?" she questioned, one eyebrow raised.

"Uh…'no'?"

"And what makes today any different?" Her eyes never left Genis, and he was starting to feel extremely uncomfortable under her stern gaze.

"You're feeling extra nice today?" he guessed, hoping that she would accept that answer. "Please, Raine—I mean, Lady Raine—I've wanted this as long as I can remember."

Raine finally looked away from her brother and pondered his request. Genis could see her weighing every single option in her mind. After the longest minute of his life had passed, Raine looked back to him, defeat in her eyes. "Tomorrow. You will go with one of the underlings to patrol Luin. And you will be back before nightfall. Is this understood?"

Genis' jaw dropped. Had he heard her right? Did…she just say "yes"?

"Genis." His sister's sharp voice broke him out of his stupor.

Shaking his head a bit to bring reality back into focus, he said, "Sorry. Yes, I understand. Thank you!" Almost succumbing to his childish desire to run up and hug her, he stopped himself and bowed deeply before leaving.

He had done it. Tomorrow, he would finally be free of this hellhole.

* * *

"Lloyd," Kratos said as he walked into their room. Unfortunately, Kratos had to accept the duty of guarding the Chosen, his son, _and_ his friend, so the two boys had been told to sleep in the same room as Kratos. Kratos was not happy with the arrangement, as he would have preferred to keep watch over the Chosen, but it was how it had to be. He couldn't have his philandering son try something on the poor girl in her sleep.

It was the next morning, and Kratos had just come back from checking to make sure the girl was still in her room. She was, to his relief.

"Yeah, Dad?" Lloyd looked away from the ceiling and toward his father.

"Your clothes," the older man said simply.

"Do I have to? It's so early; are stores even _open_ at this hour?" Lloyd complained.

"Yes. Come on." Kratos turned abruptly and headed out of the door, leaving Lloyd to hurriedly get dressed and follow after him. Now that Kratos had brought it up, Lloyd noticed that his white suit-like outfit was getting dirty, stained with an array of colors from the brown family. He grumbled a little, upset that his father was right about needing new clothes, and followed the aforementioned man out of the room.

Merchants were lined up next to the dirt roads, trying to sell their goods to the bustling citizens of Izoold. Were towns normally this busy so early in the morning? Lloyd couldn't fathom the idea of waking up so early every day just to stand on the side of the road, yelling advertisements to potential customers.

One merchant, however, caught his eye. The man, thin and worn, looked as if he'd never slept a day in his life. He waved his hands above his head and called to people with enthusiasm. He seemed confident that his wares were better than any in town.

"Dad," Lloyd said, getting Kratos' attention. "Let's go see what he's selling." He gestured to the man. Kratos sighed and directed his path toward him.

As the two neared the merchant, he called, "Ah, yes, fine sirs; you've made a good choice. You see, I'm a traveling merchant, finding and selling my goods whenever I can. I've recently come across a magnificent find, however, so today is your lucky day!" He beamed before continuing. "While wandering through the Iselia region, I stumbled upon a few dwarves. Did either of you even know that they still existed? Well, I tell no lies; the dwarves were real."

"Where are you going with this, sir?" Kratos asked, slightly annoyed with the man's story.

"Quite the impatient one, aren't you?" he mocked lightly. "Well, after several hours of trying, I finally managed to get one to talk with me. I was willing to trade my wares for theirs. What you see in front of you now are those items that I managed to snag from them. It's quite a deal, you see, as there is almost no other way to experience the culture of these underground creatures who are believed to be extinct. So, what do you say? Take a look." He waved his arm flamboyantly over his products.

Lloyd looked at the small wooden sculptures, the finely-crafted weapons, and the figurines that were proposed to be from the dwarves. His eyes scanned over the merchandise until they reached a small, red, tightly-bound bundle of cloth. "What's this?"

"That is one of my favorite items. It took a while, but I actually got one of the dwarves to make a piece of clothing in traditional dwarven style! Would you like to see?" When Lloyd nodded, the merchant unfolded the clothes so that he could tell that it was a bright crimson jacket. The jacket had several small, intricate buttons lining it. "It's one-of-a-kind. It'll sell quickly; I'm sure. You'd better snatch it up before you leave here today, because it'll be gone soon!"

"Hey, Dad!" Lloyd called. "Look! Does this jacket work?"

Kratos examined the article of clothing and scrutinized every detail. "It's finely made. Do you like it?" he asked his son. Lloyd nodded again. "We'll take it."

"Very good, sirs. Will that be all?" The merchant noted Kratos' slightly nodding head and made a calculation in his head. "Your total will be…five thousand Gald."

Lloyd gaped. "Wh-what? That's insane!"

"Maybe, but it's like I said: this is one-of-a-kind. I doubt you'll ever come into contact with another jacket as finely crafted as this. Sir, the deal still stands. Will you buy it?"

Kratos said nothing, but instead took out a sack of Gald and placed it onto the man's table. "This should cover it." He took the jacket from the merchant's hands and turned from the table silently. Still shocked, Lloyd ran after him.

"Y-you didn't have to pay that much for a jacket…" he mumbled. "Sorry."

"It is as he said. This jacket is very well-made, and I doubt we'd ever come into contact with another dwarf, let alone a jacket of this quality. Just accept it and be grateful." Kratos did not look back to see Lloyd's facial expression shift from shock to joy.

"Thanks, Dad!" he cried happily.

"We still need pants and shoes. Let us hurry."

"Okay!"

* * *

It took about one more hour, but the two swordsmen finally succeeded in getting a suitable outfit for Lloyd to wear. It consisted of thick black sweat pants and leather boots that conveniently matched his new jacket. Now the pair walked back to the inn, pushing through the throng of people in the market area.

Along the way, Lloyd had finally noticed something. "Hey, Dad?"

Kratos grunted in reply.

"Why are you wearing spandex? It's really weird."

"I was wondering when you'd finally notice. Even Zelos realized that I'd changed." Kratos cursed that fact that his son was so nonobservant sometimes. "This is easy to wash and does not restrict movements."

"Okay…but…why the cape?" Lloyd pressed.

"It is merely a cape, Lloyd."

A knowing smile made its way onto the boy's face. "I'll bet you wear because you look badass in it, huh?"

Kratos resisted the urge to fall to his knees, pleading for a more normal son. Instead, he looked straight ahead and said sarcastically, "Yes, Lloyd. I wear it because I look badass in it."

Lloyd pumped his fist. "I knew it!"

Sighing, Kratos pushed open the door to the inn and shoved the clothes into his son's arms. "Go change."

"Okay." Lloyd crept into the inn's bathhouse.

About fifteen minutes later, Kratos wondered why Lloyd was taking so long. He slowly walked up to the door and knocked a few times. "Lloyd?"

Without warning, the door flew open, revealing Lloyd. His back was straight, and his hands were on his hips in a heroic manner. "I am Lloyd the Great!" he shouted. "I will right wrongs and banish evildoers from this land!"

He still continued to amaze Kratos in everything that he did. Ignoring Lloyd's "hero" rant, he changed the subject. "What took you so long?"

"I had to put this on the jacket!" he grinned, and spun around so that Kratos could see his back.

_What?_ Kratos thought as he saw long white ribbons dangling from the jacket. "Where did you get this?"

"Well…I figured I wouldn't need my old clothes anymore, and I wanted my clothes to be more 'me', so I tore some strips from my old pants and stuck them onto my new jacket!" he said proudly.

"…Why?" Kratos hadn't directed the question at Lloyd, but instead at himself. It was almost similar to the time when Lloyd was younger. He had run up to Kratos one day after school and demanded that he have two swords instead of one. After explaining his logic, Kratos wondered how he could have raised such a strange son.

It was just the way of the worlds, he supposed.

"Dad?" Lloyd's voice called. "Dad?" The red-clad teen waved his hand in front of his father's unseeing face until Kratos batted it away. "Are you okay?"

"Just…reminiscing…" he murmured.

"Dad, you're pretty weird, huh?" Lloyd said, shrugging his shoulders. He began walking back to the room that he was sharing with Zelos and Kratos.

Kratos waited until the door closed behind his son before responding with, "Yes…I suppose I am."

* * *

Uh…a filler chapter? Oh, no! I have to get _some_ plot going! Well, that is…I have to _come up_ with a plot. Dang it.

Anyway, if you noticed, then yes, Lloyd's clothing in the beginning of the chapter were the formal clothes from the game. I'm a lazy, lazy person, and I didn't want to try and come up with something he'd actually wear. But then, I decided that I wanted him to be in his original trademarked outfit, so I spent two days trying to think of a way to get him in those clothes without a plot hole being terrifyingly evident. Hopefully, my explanation was okay and not plot hole-y.

Please review and leave your comments and suggestions! I love you all! You readers are my only friends! …Well, not really. But I still like you all!


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